Next move in Rick Perry case belongs to upper court [View all]
The next move in the felony case against Rick Perry belongs to the state’s highest criminal court, which will decide as early as mid-September whether to accept or reject two appeals in the case.
The Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision could go a long way toward determining whether Perry, indicted by a Travis County grand jury in August 2014, will be tried on a charge of misusing his power as governor, which prosecutors classified as a felony with a maximum term of life in prison, though probation is common for similar white-collar crimes.
A second felony charge, coercion of a public official, was dismissed in July when a lower appeals court declared the coercion law unconstitutional because it violated free-speech rights.
Both charges arose from Perry’s 2013 threat to veto state money unless another elected official resigned, then following through on the threat when she remained in office.
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/next-move-in-rick-perry-case-belongs-to-upper-cour/nnbBn/
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